Broken

Ever since I’d left home, nothing had gone to plan. Not that there was much of a plan except for going to Nashville and making music and selling my songs.
When I stood to get off the bus, the hundred dollars I’d saved to see me through my first week had fallen out of my pocket onto the floor. The jerk behind me picked it up and claimed the money belonged to him. The driver took his side.
I’d tried busking, but since it’d been raining most of the night, not many people wanted to stop and listen. Then some little punk stole my guitar case and the few bucks I’d earned. So instead of finding a cheap motel room to crash in, I’d slept in a gazebo. I woke up at the butt crack of dawn and used the bus station bathroom to freshen up, then stashed my rucksack in an alleyway where hopefully no one would find it.
The only thing I’d had to eat since last night was a bag of potato chips and a peanut butter sandwich.
I’d been walking around looking for a job for hours. There was nothing I wouldn’t do—except stripping. Something like that would come back to bite me in the ass when I was famous. But I’d meant it when I said I’d scrub toilets.
“Can I start now?” I asked.
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“You’ll have to apply for a permit before you can serve alcohol.”
I frowned. I knew it was too good to be true. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to decline. I kind of need a job now.”
He held up his hands in a slowdown gesture. “Not so fast. Until you get your permit, you can pick up glasses and help the servers. But first things first, you need to eat. You’ll be on your feet all night.” Colt gestured toward a cute server with pink and blue hair. “Lauren, this is Nat. She’s going to be helping out tonight. Grab her a cheeseburger with all the fixins’, fries, and a Coke.”
“You got it.” Lauren grinned in my direction. “Welcome to the madhouse. You’ll love it here.”
My stomach rumbled again, but I couldn’t pay for the meal he’d ordered. “I, uh, I don’t have any spare cash at the moment.” Rather than meet his eye, I stared at the stage, hoping he wouldn’t notice how flushed my cheeks were.
“Since everyone works for minimum and tips, food is included. All you can eat.”
I turned to face him and raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Next you’ll be telling me you provide health insurance, too.”
“For every single employee and dental.” Pride sounded in his voice and showed in his face. In front of me stood a man who took care of people, and for some reason, he wanted to take care of me. I’d be a fool to turn down his job offer.
“You some kind of guardian angel or something?”
He chuckled softly, and the deep sound set every hair on my body on end. “Not how the people around here would describe me, but sure, I’ll be your guardian angel.”
Before I sat, I removed my guitar and laid it across a vacant seat, taking the opportunity to study him.
Silver flecked his thick, dark hair. At least two days of stubble covered his strong jaw, and ocean-blue eyes glinted from behind long lashes.
Intricate tattoos that looked Asian in design decorated both his arms and hands. More tattoos peeked out from the neckline of his black cotton T-shirt. Worn Wranglers hugged his muscular thighs and tight butt, and like every self-respecting cowboy, he wore a scuffed-up pair of boots mostly hidden beneath his jeans.
I guessed he was maybe fifteen years older than me, putting him around thirty-four. Older guys weren’t my thing, but, dang it, being near this older guy left my nipples hard and my panties damp.
After a forgetful five-minute fumble in the front seat of my car when I was seventeen, I hadn’t dated much. The boys in Gainesville were a-holes, plus my dad’s temper and how he treated my mom before she passed convinced me to never get romantically involved with any man as long as I lived, but I had a tingly feeling Colt could persuade me otherwise.
No, I reminded myself. I wasn’t in Nashville to fall in love, fall in lust, or fall into bed with anyone no matter how hot they were. I was in Nashville to sing my songs and kick-start my career.
“I’m glad you walked into my bar, Nattie,” he said in a slow, honey-coated drawl. “This could be all kinds of fun for both of us.”
Oh, my word. He was flirting with me, and I kind of liked how glowy it made me feel.
“Is it hot in here, or is it just me?” I asked, surprised at the wobble in my words.
“Just you,” he said, his voice turning gravelly.
“I sure could use that Coke to help cool me down.” I’d also settle for an ice bath or a vacation in Antarctica.
Small ripples ran up and down my spine, and my nipples stiffened. Thank goodness my shirt was loose enough to hide how he affected me. I’d met Colt less than ten minutes ago, and yet here I was ready to strip off all my clothes and ask him to screw me senseless over the bar.
“Tell me about yourself, Nattie.”
“Nothing much to tell other than all my life I’ve dreamed of coming to Nashville and standing in the circle at the Grand Ole Opry.”
“And if that doesn’t happen?”
I raised my chin. “One way or another, it will. I’ll sell my soul to make sure it does.”
A small smile creased his cheek. “In this town, there’ll be plenty of takers.”
“Here you go.” Lauren set a plate filled with crispy fries and a massive burger in front of